SUNTAI FIRES CABINET, MEETS SPEAKER
Gov Danbaba Suntai
The political situation in Taraba State remained dicey yesterday as officials held series of meetings to break the impasse created by the return of Governor Danbaba Suntai from a foreign medical trip on Sunday.
Suntai has not been seen in public since his return, after spending 10 months in Germany and the United States to treat injuries sustained in a plane crash in October last year.
On Tuesday, the State House of Assembly expressed doubt on if he was fit enough to take charge from Acting Governor Garba Umar, and therefore summoned him to brief lawmakers as a condition for allowing him to resume work.
But events took a swift turn yesterday, beginning with the announcement by the governor’s office of the dissolution of the state executive council, moments before the council was scheduled to hold a weekly meeting with the acting governor.
Suntai’s spokesman Sylvanus Giwa, who announced the sack of the cabinet, said also a new secretary to the state government and a chief of staff in the Government House were appointed.
He said the cabinet dissolution affects all commissioners and special advisers but not special assistants.
On whether Suntai was fit enough to administer the state, Giwa responded in the affirmative.
Soon after this, the acting governor’s office held a news conference where it said some people were trying to foment trouble in the state.
Umar’s spokesman Kefas Sule, who addressed journalists on behalf of the acting governor, said Umar and other major political stakeholders were working to resolve the impasse.
He said that the state executive council was worried that some individuals were bent on fomenting trouble in the state, and urged the people to continue with their normal activities.
Following the announcement of the dissolution of the cabinet, journalists gathered at the State House of Assembly to see if lawmakers would take stand on the latest developments.
The House leadership promised to brief reporters on their position. But many hours after, deputy majority leader Josiah Sabo Kente informed journalists at about 8pm that there would be no further briefing until today.
Daily Trust learnt that the leadership had moments earlier been given access to Suntai at the Government House. On Tuesday, Speaker Haruna Tsokwa had said they were blocked from seeing the governor by a cabal who wanted to run the state by proxy.
Reporters were not allowed to cover the meeting between the lawmakers and Suntai yesterday.
Earlier, footage aired on state television showed the swearing-in ceremony of the newly appointed Secretary to the State Government, Gebon Timothy Kataps, and Chief of Staff, Malam Aminu Jika, at the Government House.
The footage showed Suntai reading a script, in which he thanked the people of the state for their prayers and urged them to continue to pray for him. He also congratulated them on the 22nd anniversary of the creation of the state.
Only a cameraman of the state television was allowed to cover the swearing-in ceremony and he later played the clip to reporters.
A similar scenario happened on Monday when Governor Murtala Nyako of Adamawa State visited Suntai, during which only two cameramen—one each from Taraba and Adamawa state television stations—were allowed to cover the visit.
A senior Taraba official yesterday told Daily Trust what actually happened on Monday afternoon during Nyako’s visit. He said Nyako and his entourage were received in the ground floor sitting room of the Government House by Mrs Hauwa Suntai, who made a long welcoming speech.
The source said afterwards, after much hesitation, Mrs Suntai invited Nyako to go upstairs and see Suntai, and the Adamawa governor beckoned to his deputy Bala Ngilari to follow him.
Other members of Nyako’s entourage including the Secretary to the Adamawa State Government were not allowed to see Suntai.
The source added that television pictures shown that night of the visit were misleading because they gave the impression that Suntai received the entire Adamawa delegation. A clip from Nyako’s brief audience upstairs was cleverly grafted into a clip of the general audience that took place downstairs to give that impression, the source said.
Another security official who saw Suntai during the brief appearances said the governor is able to respond when someone greets him, but does not say more than that.
But chairman of the state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Mr. Victor Bala Kona said he spoke with the governor and even discussed plans for the party’s national convention coming up in Abuja on Saturday. He told the BBC Hausa radio last night that Suntai would soon address the public when he completed his “rest” after a long trip back from the United States.
Before the cabinet sack was announced, Attorney General Kataps, who is now the SSG, said it was wrong for the House Speaker to invite Suntai to appear before the House.
Kataps told journalists that the constitution stipulates that the governor only needed to transmit a letter to the House, to inform lawmakers of his return.
“When the executive governor transmits a letter to the House of Assembly, every other thing reverts back to the status quo ante and the governor has resumed office as the executive governor of the state,” he said.
When asked about the health status and ability of the governor to perform his duties, Kataps said he would not comment on that because of pending court cases on the matter
.
Suntai has not been seen in public since his return, after spending 10 months in Germany and the United States to treat injuries sustained in a plane crash in October last year.
On Tuesday, the State House of Assembly expressed doubt on if he was fit enough to take charge from Acting Governor Garba Umar, and therefore summoned him to brief lawmakers as a condition for allowing him to resume work.
But events took a swift turn yesterday, beginning with the announcement by the governor’s office of the dissolution of the state executive council, moments before the council was scheduled to hold a weekly meeting with the acting governor.
Suntai’s spokesman Sylvanus Giwa, who announced the sack of the cabinet, said also a new secretary to the state government and a chief of staff in the Government House were appointed.
He said the cabinet dissolution affects all commissioners and special advisers but not special assistants.
On whether Suntai was fit enough to administer the state, Giwa responded in the affirmative.
Soon after this, the acting governor’s office held a news conference where it said some people were trying to foment trouble in the state.
Umar’s spokesman Kefas Sule, who addressed journalists on behalf of the acting governor, said Umar and other major political stakeholders were working to resolve the impasse.
He said that the state executive council was worried that some individuals were bent on fomenting trouble in the state, and urged the people to continue with their normal activities.
Following the announcement of the dissolution of the cabinet, journalists gathered at the State House of Assembly to see if lawmakers would take stand on the latest developments.
The House leadership promised to brief reporters on their position. But many hours after, deputy majority leader Josiah Sabo Kente informed journalists at about 8pm that there would be no further briefing until today.
Daily Trust learnt that the leadership had moments earlier been given access to Suntai at the Government House. On Tuesday, Speaker Haruna Tsokwa had said they were blocked from seeing the governor by a cabal who wanted to run the state by proxy.
Reporters were not allowed to cover the meeting between the lawmakers and Suntai yesterday.
Earlier, footage aired on state television showed the swearing-in ceremony of the newly appointed Secretary to the State Government, Gebon Timothy Kataps, and Chief of Staff, Malam Aminu Jika, at the Government House.
The footage showed Suntai reading a script, in which he thanked the people of the state for their prayers and urged them to continue to pray for him. He also congratulated them on the 22nd anniversary of the creation of the state.
Only a cameraman of the state television was allowed to cover the swearing-in ceremony and he later played the clip to reporters.
A similar scenario happened on Monday when Governor Murtala Nyako of Adamawa State visited Suntai, during which only two cameramen—one each from Taraba and Adamawa state television stations—were allowed to cover the visit.
A senior Taraba official yesterday told Daily Trust what actually happened on Monday afternoon during Nyako’s visit. He said Nyako and his entourage were received in the ground floor sitting room of the Government House by Mrs Hauwa Suntai, who made a long welcoming speech.
The source said afterwards, after much hesitation, Mrs Suntai invited Nyako to go upstairs and see Suntai, and the Adamawa governor beckoned to his deputy Bala Ngilari to follow him.
Other members of Nyako’s entourage including the Secretary to the Adamawa State Government were not allowed to see Suntai.
The source added that television pictures shown that night of the visit were misleading because they gave the impression that Suntai received the entire Adamawa delegation. A clip from Nyako’s brief audience upstairs was cleverly grafted into a clip of the general audience that took place downstairs to give that impression, the source said.
Another security official who saw Suntai during the brief appearances said the governor is able to respond when someone greets him, but does not say more than that.
But chairman of the state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Mr. Victor Bala Kona said he spoke with the governor and even discussed plans for the party’s national convention coming up in Abuja on Saturday. He told the BBC Hausa radio last night that Suntai would soon address the public when he completed his “rest” after a long trip back from the United States.
Before the cabinet sack was announced, Attorney General Kataps, who is now the SSG, said it was wrong for the House Speaker to invite Suntai to appear before the House.
Kataps told journalists that the constitution stipulates that the governor only needed to transmit a letter to the House, to inform lawmakers of his return.
“When the executive governor transmits a letter to the House of Assembly, every other thing reverts back to the status quo ante and the governor has resumed office as the executive governor of the state,” he said.
When asked about the health status and ability of the governor to perform his duties, Kataps said he would not comment on that because of pending court cases on the matter
.
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